I was still with
my abuser, and volunteering at an animal shelter.She was in a small crate with
another dog.Covered in feces.So
skinny and lethargic it’s a wonder how she was even alive.I brought her
to the “cat side” where “no dogs allowed” was the rule.She
made herself a bed in a box I had brought in earlier with a bunch of stuff.I
fed her baby food because she was too weak to eat regular puppy food.That sweet
hound face, it just stole my heart.I felt such a connection to her right away.He named her Molly, but I liked it and it seemed to fit, so Molly she was.

Once we got her
home, she seemed to be sicker than we first thought.There was most definitely
something wrong.We watched her over night, she just slept and peed.She wouldn’t eat.She was so weak.We took her to the vet the next day and they kept her there for observation, as the owner of the shelter
refused to allow any testing to be done.Then, he called me telling me that the
owner of the shelter went and took her out of the vet’s office, against the vet’s recommendations.I fought and fought with her and she wouldn’t budge.She
was keeping the dog because the dog was “better off with her”.

Two days
later, I was at the shelter and what did I see?This poor weak pathetic little
creature tied to a tree outside the shelter. I called him immediately and told him to come get her.By the time he got there, she was gone.To the pet store where
they were holding a 24hour adopt-a-thon.In a cage so small she could barely
move.

After much hell-raising,
somehow we got her back and just adopted her, since it clearly was going to be the only way to save her.I can’t explain why, but I was absolutely compelled to take her.Well, I can now explain why, but at the time I couldn’t.By
that night, she was clearly near death and needed immediate medical attention.Because
the shelter had refused to allow any care, we took her to our own vet. $1000
later, she was like a new puppy.Sadly, she was diagnosed with a portal-systemic shunt.She needed
to gain 30 – 40 pounds and become much healthier before the shunt could be further diagnosed and treated.

I don’t really
know what happened, but for some reason he andMolly started not getting along.Well, I suppose it could have been the candle flame that “she put her nose right
up to”.Or maybe it was the citrus air freshener that he “accidentally”
sprayed in her crate while she was in there.Or perhaps it was the fact that
he was convinced she hated him and therefore she deserved to be taken to a shelter or thrown over the 5th floor
balcony.Maybe it was the way he spoke to her.Either way, it was a terrible situation and I knew that I could not live with it anymore.She had already endured enough abuse and neglect in her short little life so far.

I had endured years
of emotional and verbal and sometimes physical abuse.Yet to see this sweet and
helpless animal that everyone who met her was drawn to in an inexplicable way, to see this man treat her as he treated me,
to see her terrified of him, was more than I could bear.

A few short months
after coming into my life in such a tumultuous fashion, this sweet wonderful creature gave me the strength I needed to leave
nearly 6 years of abuse.

I often wonder
if anyone can possibly understand the extent of my love for this incredible dog, that they must think I’m crazy for
being so affected by her.I just ask them to think of this........the short
but turbulent life she lived, for only a few months.......then, after finally rounding up the strength to leave an abusive
relationship, why 2 weeks later she would have taken such a turn for the worse there was no coming back.2 weeks after leaving, she went over the rainbow bridge.

Molly my
Angel, sent to me for a definite reason.I miss her so much and I am so grateful
for the short time I had with her.She saved me.She really did.